1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a link for an electrical mounting rack terminal which has two busbars one above the other. The invention also concerns a mounting rack terminal fitted with a link according to the invention.
Published European Patent Application EP 0 763 874 A2 discloses an electrical mounting rack terminal having a link, in which the busbars are disposed one above the other and have plug openings which are oriented so as to be aligned with one another and into which a link can be plugged for electrical connection. The link essentially includes two spring contacts which lie flat against one another and, in the region of their lower contact zone, which interacts with the lower busbar, or in their upper contact zone, which interacts with the plug opening in the upper busbar, have mutually complementary or opposite offsets. The spring contacts are held against one another at their upper ends above the upper contact zone such that they can be displaced. On entering the plug opening in the lower busbar, the two spring contacts are resiliently braced against one another in the plug openings.
Since, in the case of the above-described conventional link, contact is made virtually exclusively via the lateral narrow edges of the spring contacts, the contact area is disadvantageously small and may cause excessive heating.
In addition, Published European Patent Application EP 0 735 629 A1 discloses a terminal having a vertically oriented busbar, with a transverse link with which internal contact is made as a result of spreading or forcing the link apart.